Lessons Learnt - Design for London

3.8 integrate Large-scaLe retaiL sites
L rge
superm rket in
Purley.
M ny l rge ret il sites re
underused ssets, essenti lly
relics from different pl nning
context th t f voured lowdensity
c r-driven development.
Moreover, these ‘ ig ox’ ret il
sites often cre te severe
neg tive dj cency effects
through servicing nd ccess
needs, lind f c des, dly configured refuse
rr ngements nd c r p rking. However, they
re lso import nt economic nchors of town
centres, with high l nd v lues. for m ny new
l rge-sc le ret il (re)developments, com ining
the ret il element with high-density housing h s
ecome more common. Also, nd ec use of the
sc le of some of these developments, ccess nd
servicing rr ngements c n e ddressed holistic
lly, providing n improved ur n design nd
housing environment.
54 HOUSING INTENSIfICATION IN SEVEN SOUTH LONDON TOWN CENTRES AND THEIR EDGES
Our c se studies in Purley, the Old Kent
Ro d, Morden nd B lh m include signific nt
superm rket sites. They show th t:
• ddressing the configur tion of ig ox ret il
sites with their c r p rks nd ccess ro ds c n
hold the key to long-term regener tion of n
re . It c n e prim ry c t lyst to chieving
tr nsform tion l ch nge;
• regul tions reg rding out-of-town ret il might
impede signific nt residenti l development
coupled to ret il exp nsion outside the core of
town centres;
• there re m ny design solutions to mitig te
the imp ct of ig ox ret il sites on the pu lic
re lm, such s through wr pping sm ller shops
round them nd y c refully integr ting or
orient ting c r p rks nd lo ding ys;
• it is possi le nd dv nt geous to cre te
collective ccess provision nd menity sp ce
ove superm rkets, there y overcoming
prejudices g inst ‘living over the shop’.
M ny design principles nd str tegies exist to
integr te l rge-sc le ret il sites. In recent ye rs,
residenti l v lue often outstripped the ret il v lue
of town centre sites so th t such developments
were very ttr ctive to m rket p rties. At the s me
time, project development ppe red very difficult
in pr ctice. Vi le solutions sometimes require
l rger sc le perspective eyond individu l
ret il site ownerships to chieve comprehensive
regener tion. This m y e needed to de l with
tr nsport, p rking nd to provide ddition l pu lic
re lm enefits. This requires cre tive ttitude
nd sufficient skills levels mong ll st keholders
to de l with such projects in their full complexity.
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